Can-opening implement



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lVILLIAM N. ANDERSON, OF SAN RAFAEL, CALIFORNIA.

voAN-oli-:Nme IMPLEMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 619,111, dated February 7, 189,9, Application ned February 11,1898. serai No. 669,915. un modem To @ZZ whom t may con/cern.:

Beit known that LWILLIAM N. ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of San Rafael, in the county of Marin, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements invOan-Opening Implements, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to implements for cutting out -the ends of metallic cans or sealed vessels in which food and other substances are contained and preserved.

My invention consists of an implement with the usual handle and shank, the latter having an extension or head of curved shape forming a fulcrum on the edge of the can, a cutter set an angle in respect to the handle and head, and a circular recessed washer or clamp forming a guard for depressing the can-head after it is severed and in part a fulcrum, also in other features to be hereinafter pointed out.

rlhe objects of my invention are to provide an implement whereby the heads of cans can be wholly cut out close up to the sides, leaving a smooth and complete vessel ready for a new head or for any other useful purpose, and so the contents can be removed without being mutilated.

In the drawings, Figure I is an edge view of one of my improved can-opening implements. Fig. Il is a side view of the same implement. Fig. III is an elevation of a can with the opening implement in position for cutting out the head, also indicating its position at starting. Fig. IV is a top or plan view of the same can and implement.

Similar references apply to corresponding parts throughout.

In cutting out the heads of preserving cans or tins, as theyare sometimes called, it is desirable to avoid leaving a fringe or `border of the head clinging to the sides of the can, rendering it useless for other purposes and unprepared for a new head. Also it is desi rable to guard the hands of an operator from an accident and to leave the head cut out in as perfect a form as possible, so that by trimming it will answer for reuse in smaller cans. There is also the objection to the common 5o method of cutting the heads that a ragged fringe is left around the inside, so the contents cannot be removed without mutilation, as in the case of preserved meats,which should be decanted whole. To attain these ends, it is necessary to provide a fulcrum on the edge of the head or cover and a cutter of such form and set at such an angle with respect to the handle and fulcrum that it can on its face or side fit close against the inside of the can where the head is soldered. These ends I attain by providing a handle l, preferably made integral with circular-formed head 2, that form the 'principal fulcrum for the implement when Working.

The cutter 3, which may be straight or slightly curved longitudinally in its flat section,I set obliquely in respect to the head 2 and the handle l, preferably at an angle of about twenty degrees,v as seen in Fig. I, so the cutter 3 can iit against the inside wall of the can l0 when the handle 1 is tangent thereto.`

On the inside of the cutter 3 I place a recessed washer or clamp 4, the radius of which is shorter than that of the curved head 2, so it will stand at a little distance above the canhead 5, forming in part a fulcrum and pre ventingthe severed edge 6 from curving upward so as to reach the hand of the operator or distort the head 5 being cut out.

The recessed clamp-piece 4 forms a washer and a shield for the head 7'of the rivet or screw 8, a guard for the operators hand, a clamp for the cutter 3, and in part a fulcrum for the implement when in use.

The cutter 3 I make in the form of a lance, preferably with double edges, so as to be used right or left, and with a point 9, that can be inserted through the head of the can 5 when the implement is set in a verticalposition, or as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. III.

The angular position of the cutter 3 with respect to the handle 1, while seemingly not a matter of importance, alters altogether the working effect of the implement, because without this feature the head 5 cannot be cut out close up to the side of the can 10 and the implement would be incapable of producing perfect work. This angle of the cutter 3, while it may be said to depend upon the diameter or size of the can l0, will be found to answer very well for all cans of average size when in the position shown, 'or at an angle IOO diverging about twenty degrees from the line of the handle 1.

The handle 1 can be solid, of Wood or metal, and the head 2 can be a separate piece; but in practice I find it preferable to make the two integral, of east metal, removing the central portion of the handle 11 to give it the required width and section without too much Weight. l

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention and the manner of constructing and applying the same, what I 

